Where can I recycle at WMU?
There are tall, rectangular, yellow/blue recycling bins conveniently located
throughout campus for paper and cardboard. The short, round, yellow/blue bins
are for glass bottles, metal cans, caps and foils, plastic bottles and cups.
These aren’t as available as the paper bins, but each café has them, as well as
several loading docks and areas near vending machines.
Where can I recycle if I live off-campus?
Curbside service is available for all single family dwellings or rental properties with
4 or fewer units. Many apartment complexes also provide recycling. There are
several places for you to take your recyclables in Kalamazoo County. To find
the facility nearest you, please call the Kalamazoo County Planning Department
at 269.384.8110 or visit their website at www.kalcounty.com
for more information.
What does it mean when the recycling is contaminated?
Contamination in the recycling industry means any material placed in a recycling
container that is not specifically accepted as recyclable in that program.
Contaminants can be anything from cans in the paper recycling to half empty
bottles in the bottle recycling to food waste.
What do I do if the bin/dumpster is full?
For all recycling bins except those in residence halls or apartments, call
Recycling & Waste Reduction Services @ 387.8165. For residence hall bins
contact the hall director for information on having it emptied. Residents of
campus apartments are responsible for removing all trash and recycling to
the dumpsters outside.
What do we do with electronics?
If the electronics are still usable, we continue to use them in a less demanding
area or we sell the item at an auction. If the item is not usable again we
collect it for recycling.
Can we recycle...?
Yogurt Cups - YES
Cereal Boxes - YES
Broken Mirrors - NO
9-Volt Batteries - YES
Incandescent light bulbs - NO
Fast Food Wrappers - NO
Plastic Bags - NO
Envelopes - YES
Candy Wrappers - NO
Wrappers from reams of paper - NO
Glossy Paper - YES
12-pack boxes - NO
Anything with food on it - NO
Any item that is ‘gross’ does not belong in the recycling containers. If it smells like
trash, it belongs in the trash!
Can I put items in the paper recycling bin if it has staples or other metal attachments
on them?
Paper clips, staples, and binder clips are ok. You should, however, reuse the paper
clips and binder clips.
Can WMU shred documents for me?
WMU does not have a large shredder but there are document destruction firms
with reasonable prices. See phone book or call Recycling & Waste Reduction
Services. Anything that is sensitive; exams, social security numbers, personnel
files, etc. should be shredded.